---
type: "Bill"
title: "relative to advance directives for health care decisions."
description: "relative to advance directives for health care decisions."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 74"
citation: "New Hampshire SB 74 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Tom Sherman"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 19
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-19"
last_action: "2021-08-03"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4c2aae91-868b-4f3b-80fb-500d49f35b09"
source_url: "http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0857&sy=2021&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2021"
source_hash: "483a51ec2becfbcc7275c5948397fbcc2662eb38a54072fac51c15326a97851b"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nh"]
---

# New Hampshire SB 74 (2021) — relative to advance directives for health care decisions.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment #2021-1022s** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=2021-1022s&txtFormat=amend)

## Votes

- Committee Amendment 1022s — **24–0** (pass) · upper
- Ought to Pass w/Amendment — **24–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Tom Sherman — primary (person)
- Cindy Rosenwald — cosponsor (person)
- David H Watters — cosponsor (person)
- Gary L. Woods — cosponsor (person)
- Jeb Bradley — cosponsor (person)
- Rebecca G. Whitley — cosponsor (person)
- Suzanne M Prentiss — cosponsor (person)
- William M. Marsh — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-19** Introduced 01/06/2021 and Referred to Health and Human Services; SJ 3 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2021-01-21** Remote Hearing: 01/28/2021, 01:15 pm; Links to join the hearing can be found in the Senate Calendar; SC 8
- **2021-03-25** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2021-1022s, 04/01/2021; SC 17 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-01** Committee Amendment # 2021-1022s, RC 24Y-0N, AA; 04/01/2021;
- **2021-04-01** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2021-1022s, RC 24Y-0N, MA; OT3rdg; 04/01/2021; SJ 10 `passage`
- **2021-04-13** Introduced (in recess of) 04/09/2021 and referred to Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs HJ 7 P. 99 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-20** Public Hearing: 05/03/2021 10:00 am Members of the public may attend using the following link:To join the webinar: https://www.zoom.us/j/91978983838 / Executive session on pending legislation may be held throughout the day (time permitting) from the time the committee is initially convened.
- **2021-05-05** Executive Session: 05/17/2021 09:00 am Members of the public may attend using the following link:To join the webinar: https://www.zoom.us/j/95933161404
- **2021-05-25** Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass (Vote 16-5; RC) HC 26 P. 23 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-25** Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
- **2021-06-03** FLAM # 2021-1846h (Rep. M. Pearson): AA VV 06/03/2021 HJ 8 P. 154
- **2021-06-03** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2021-1846h: MA VV 06/03/2021 HJ 8 P. 158 `passage`
- **2021-06-03** Lay on Table (Rep. Silber): MF VV 06/03/2021 HJ 8 P. 158
- **2021-06-10** Sen. Bradley Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 06/10/2021; SJ 19
- **2021-07-07** Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/24/2021); SJ 20
- **2021-07-07** Enrolled (in recess of) 06/24/2021
- **2021-08-03** Signed by the Governor on 07/30/2021; Chapter 0176 `executive-signature`
- **2021-08-03** I. RSA 137-J:5; IV-a as inserted by Section 2 Effective 07/01/2021
- **2021-08-03** II. Remainder Effective 07/30/2021

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4c2aae91-868b-4f3b-80fb-500d49f35b09`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).